His Revenge
by elle140
Summary: He knew he'd get his revenge on her one day...after all, she was the one who took his life into her own hands. "One day I'm going to hurt you. I promise." HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Well, hello there! I am here bringing you a new story! This idea has been floating around in my head for quite some time now, and I've finally decided to put it on 'paper' ;)

Also, I am aware my story, _Devil's Eye_ is still unfinished. I have lost all motivation to continue that story as of now, and will not be writing for it in the near future. I hope to continue it some day, as I _hate_ leaving it unfinished, but it is just not going to happen right now. Writing it has become more of a chore than pleasure, and I've made the decision to put it on hold. Please, just bear with me.

Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this story, I'm very excited for it! I've got a lot planned!

 **WARNINGS:** Dark themes, violence, mild language

\- I will put an extra warning on chapters if I believe it's necessary

 **Disclaimer:** Our wonderful crime fighters are not mine

 **Set in season late 5/early 6**

Please leave reviews after reading…they really help motivate me to write! I feed off of them !

 _Chapter 1 : The Escape_

 _…_

The nausea was the first thing to register in his state of partial consciousness, along with the pounding of his head. It felt as if someone was banging a hammer on the inside of his skull. No, maybe more like a sledge hammer.

"Morgan." A voice hissed through the haze, bringing him to open his heavy eyelids. He squinted as he took in his surroundings. He noted the cement walls and concluded they were in a cellar or basement of some sort.

"Morgan! Look at me!" She hissed again.

Derek forced his eyes to look at the brunette sitting across from him, then noticing the second figure to her left. Without realizing he was cuffed, he attempted to stand up, but was forced to remain seated.

"What the hell?" He grumbled.

"You don't remember?" The slender man to her left asked.

Just before he answered that he had no clue, his brain retrieved the memory.

The three of them had been driving back to the Washington police station after interviewing a witness from their current case. Brunette women were being brutally killed after enduring twenty four hours of sadistic torture and abuse. They'd only been called in the day before, but a witness had come forward and informed them that she'd seen a suspicious man hanging out on her street, where the latest was abducted from. Hotch had sent Reid, Morgan and Prentiss to check it out while he and Dave worked victimology at the station. Towards the middle of the hour-long drive back, Derek recalled the headlights of a truck barreling towards them. Bits and pieces of crunching metal and screams broke through his memory, but then it went blank.

"Was it our unsub?" He asked, breathlessly. If it was their unsub, he feared that would mean Prentiss was in the most immediate danger. He hadn't said anything earlier, but now he wished he had. She met the killer's type down to the bone.

"I don't think so," She said, "our guy is organized, patient. He wouldn't risk abducting three FBI agents. It's too risky for him."

Reid nodded in agreement. He'd read through the victim's reports and the timeline of their unsub. He stalked his victims for days, learning everything he possibly could about their daily routines before he struck. He was sophisticated, patient. He wasn't responsible.

Derek blinked back the biting headache. "How long was I out for?"

"We're not sure." Emily responded, looking at Reid.

"I woke up first, then Prentiss. You woke up five and a half minutes after her."

Derek nodded, letting his head lean back against the wall. "Are you guys okay?"

"Nothing a nice, warm hot tub can't fix." Emily quipped as she winced when her sore muscles protested the movement.

Derek raised an eyebrow and held a smirk on his face. "You've got a second date?"

Prentiss chuckled. "You only _wish_ you were invited."

Morgan shifted his weight onto his bottom, placing his feet out in front of him. "How about this," he cleared his throat, "if—"

"When." Reid said, a hint of determination in his voice.

Derek glanced over to the young man, nodding to acknowledge the uncertainty. The genius sat with his legs crossed, head hung fairly low and seemed to be in deep thought. "When we get out of here, I get to get a peak at this hot tub of yours."

Emily snickered again. "No way, José. That's for my eyes only."

Before Derek could respond, Reid spoke up, startling him. "Emily, do you have a bobby pin?"

She stared at him, confusion laced in her eyes, but she still dug into her pockets for the trusted pin that typically resided in her pant leg pocket. Retrieving it, she handed it to the young genius. "You think it can get us outta here?"

"I think I can pick the cuff lock with it."

Ten minutes later and after many grunts of frustration, Reid had himself freed. He stood up and quickly began working on Emily's restraints.

"Hey, kid, I don't mean to rush you, but hurry. We don't know when our guy will show up."

Reid shrugged off Morgan, focusing solely on the pin and small lock of Emily's cuffs. In only seven minutes, he concluded, Emily's hands were free of the grey metal. Reid hurried over to the last set of cuffs and got to work. He applauded himself when the cuffs fell limply away from Derek's hands after only five minutes.

"Practice makes perfect." He commented, earning a smile from Prentiss and a pat on his shoulder from Morgan.

"Good work, kid." He said, removing his hand from the younger man's shoulder, "Now we just need a way out."

Without warning, the door swung open. What was revealed, was the last thing any of them would've expected.

"Wh…How?" A young man, maybe twenty six, stuttered as he stood still in the doorway.

Reid held up the pin, a small smile of success grew on his face. An uncomfortable silence took over the room as the agents struggled to come up with a plan, as their 'captor' seemed to be harmless. That was until he pulled out a gun.

"Don't move."

Prentiss held up her hands, which the two men followed. "We don't want any trouble."

"Then…why are you out of your restraints?" He asked, the confidence building in his unsteady voice.

Prentiss shot a glance to Morgan, who nodded and she continued. "Okay, look?" She reached out her arms in front of her. "You can cuff us again. We didn't mean to upset you."

The man took a nervous look around the room at the two other men who were holding out their arms. "Okay…"

He began to walk towards Prentiss, and Derek sprung into action. He held the man in a head lock, effectively disarming him and Reid hurried to grab the gun. Only minutes later, the man went limp in Derek's arms and he set him on the floor, cuffing him to the set that previously held Reid.

"Let's go!" Derek called out as he began running up the stairs. The other two agents ran swiftly up the stairs behind him, stopping just as he did to grab their cell phones. They all cursed silently at the _No Service_ message at the top corner of their screens. Derek looked around for a landline phone, coming up empty. The house was rather small, the kitchen and living room were practically combined and there was no upstairs.

"Maybe we can find his car keys?" Emily suggested.

Neither man could answer before rustling from the basement interrupted them.

"There's no time. If he has the hand cuff key, he'll be out in no time. We'll run until we get service." Morgan said, opening the back door to the dim lighting outside.

The three agents quickly made their way outside and began running through the dense trees. Thankfully, the sun was just beginning to rise, which gave them just enough light to see where they were going and to avoid tripping. Reid ran the calculations of how long they'd been in the basement through his head as he ran. They'd been on their way back around six thirty, then just before the truck crashed into them, it was six fifty-eight. It must be around four thirty in the morning since the sun is just above the ground.

Morgan, who'd been in the front, started slowing down and then came to a stop. Emily and Reid did the same, forming a small circle. Derek pulled out his phone and held it up towards the sky, as if that would make the reception magically appear.

"Anything?" Emily panted, unable to catch her breath. She slowly slid down the trunk of a tree to a seated position.

Morgan shook his head and closed the device forcefully. "Nothing."

"We should keep moving. He might know these woods better than we do." Reid said, antsy to get going again.

"Okay, then let's go." Derek said. "Taking a nap down there, princess?" He said with a smirk.

She glared up at him, her eyes shooting daggers into his. As she began to stand, it seemed as though the world was tipped sideways and her hand shot out to steady her. She grabbed onto the tree trunk, gripping it so hard her knuckles were white.

Derek was immediately at her side. "Hey, you okay?"

She blinked several times, trying to clear away the fogginess. "Yeah," she rubbed her eye, "yeah I'm fine. Just a little dizzy."

"Are you sure? You took most of the impact from the truck—"

"Reid. I'm fine. I haven't eaten much, my blood sugar is probably low." She straightened up, feeling the clarity return once again. "Can we continue before that freak catches up to us?"

Reid and Morgan exchanged anxious glances, unsure whether or not they should trust Prentiss' word that she was 'fine.' Reid knew she had been driving when the truck hit them, practically t-boning the car on her side. As they finally gave up and continued walking, the lists of possible injuries that would cause dizziness filtered through his mind.

Derek checked his cell phone for service every few minutes, groaning each time it came up empty. They'd slowed down their pace to a walk, as each of them had become exhausted. He kept his eyes on Prentiss, who had visibly slowed more than either of them. The two men had instinctively formed a barrier around their injured friend, even if she couldn't admit it yet. Periodically, he observed her squeeze her eyes shut and bring up her hand to her forehead, as if she was fighting off the headache. The headache in his own head had moved to the base of his neck, and had become much less severe. Frankly, he hadn't thought about his own headache since Emily's started. The pit in his stomach told him enough.

Abruptly, she stopped and the contents of her stomach were strewn across the forest ground.

"Emily!" Reid cried as he sprinted to her side, "tell me what's going on."

She shut her eyes again and brought her hand up to her mouth to wipe away the saliva. "I…my head is pounding."

"Why don't you sit down?" Reid suggested, taking her hand into his.

She shook her head, only to stop the action quickly as it caused the pounding of her head to increase. "No." She said, licking her lips. "No, we have to keep going."

"I'll wait here with you and Morgan can run ahead to get signal." Reid suggested, and Morgan nodded.

"We can't split up. We'll be like sitting ducks." She said. "I can go on."

When neither man said anything, she repeated it. Ultimately, none of them liked the idea of splitting up, and Derek decided to have Reid lead the way. The young genius was always good at the geographical aspect of their cases, and Derek wanted to be as far away from the woods as soon as possible.

Derek opted to walk next to Emily while Reid was several paces ahead of them, holding out his cell phone so that he'd know the exact second he got reception.

Emily's walk began to become staggered, like she struggled to walk in a straight line. It looked almost as if she'd had a few too many at dinner. "Emily?" He asked, "You okay?"

Instead of answering him, she briefly looked at him and gave him a loopy nod. His concern for her well-being was off the charts and he slowly decreased the distance between them until he was only centimeters apart from her.

"Anything Reid?"

Spencer checked the phone. "Nothing."

"The sun's coming up, they must be looking for us by now." Derek said, taking a look at the golden haze that was creating a beautiful blanket of sunlight over the trees.

"They don't know where we are…" Emily mumbled as she took an inept step over a small rock, stumbling forwards. Derek caught her quickly, just as Reid shot an extremely troubled look back at him and his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Derek waved at him, begging him to continue as he placed his arm around Emily's waist, acting as her stabilizer. She moved her now clouded eyes up towards him, giving him a silent thanks. He knew she was deteriorating if she wasn't complaining - never in his life had he thought he'd want to hear her complain or tease him _so badly._ Instead, she simply rested her heavy head on his shoulder and marched on.

 **How was it!? Should I continue? I am pretty dang invested in this story, so I hope you stick with me!** **Please leave reviews** **\- you know writers feed off of them, right?**


	2. Chapter 2

Wow! I was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of positive feedback for this story! Obviously, I have decided to continue and can't wait to get further into the story and get to the juicy parts. In this chapter, our beloved trio will be searching for a way out of the woods and we'll see a bit more of what's going on with Emily.

Also, I will be out of the country starting in very early July, so I do not know when I'll be able to post the next chapter. Just be patient with me :)

Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this story, I'm very excited for it! I've got a lot planned!

 **WARNINGS:** Dark themes, violence, mild language

\- I will put an extra warning on chapters if I believe it's necessary

 **Disclaimer:** Our wonderful crime fighters are not mine

 **Set in season late 5/early 6**

Please leave reviews after reading…they really help motivate me to write! I feed off of them !

 _Chapter 2 : Search and Rescue_

 _…_

"Sir, the last location I have them at is I-40. Then their signals are lost."

Hotch closed his eyes in frustration. Three of his agents had been missing since the night before, and they were no closer to finding them. They had found the SUV hours ago and had crime scene analysts combing over it for any evidence. The damage to the vehicle, especially the driver's side made his stomach flip.

"Keep trying, Garcia."

"I'm on it like a dog on with a bone." She said, using the feather pen to tap the end button.

Hotch walked briskly towards the window, running his hand through his hair. They had no leads on their current case and now he was down three agents. The police chief had made it clear that he had some of his best detectives working on finding the three absent agents while Hotch and Rossi continued working on the case. They had less than twelve hours until the fourth body, Vanessa Cambell's body would be found.

"Dave, you and I will deliver the profile and JJ," he said, turning to face the blonde, "I want you to set up a press conference. Every woman needs to know there's a serial killer."

The liaison turned on her heels and quickly exited the room, one job in mind.

…

Garcia had been twirling the pink, feathered pen between her fingers and sipping on her iced tea, waiting for any results. Their unsub hadn't left any evidence on or around his victims - the bastard was good. The four women had nothing in common, as Garcia's searches has uncovered zilch.

A high pitched beep caught her attention and she swiveled her chair around to face her computers.

"Oh! Oh my gosh…"

She quickly used her pen to tap the speed dial to Hotch's cell and waited for him to pick up.

"What is it Garcia?"

"I found them! Their signal just came back." She said, unable to contain her relief. "I'm sending you their location as we speak."

Hotch heard the ping on his cell phone. "Got it. And Garcia, send two ambulances."

"Already done."

"Good work, Penelope. We're on our way." Hotch said, quickly getting Dave's attention.

"Just bring my babies back home. Safely."

Once the cell phone clicked off, Hotch explained the Rossi that they'd found Morgan, Reid and Prentiss' location. Hotch grabbed his suit jacket off the back of the chair and he and Dave walked towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" The police chief, James Berkley, questioned them.

Hotch node at Dave, telling him to grab the SUV and bring to around to the front. "Our missing agents have been found and we're on our way to meet them."

Berkley narrowed his eyes at the unit chief. "I brought you in to help solve this case—"

"And we are. We've delivered the profile and there's nothing more for us to do at the moment besides let your officers apply the profile to the field. Now if you'd excuse me," Hotch began walking around the man, "I need to make sure my agents are alright."

…

Derek was essentially carrying all of Prentiss' weight, as she could hardly move her legs enough to walk. Her head was still resting on his shoulder, yet it lulled with every step. Morgan could feel her fighting to remain conscious, but it seemed as though the darkness was beginning its triumph over her. He was forced to halt again as she vomited again, but this time there was nothing left to come up. He held her hair back and wiped away the left-over liquid that remained around her mouth.

"It's okay…shhh…" He soothed, as she continued to dry-heave.

"I have signal!" Reid cried, ecstatically.

"Call Garcia." Derek said solemnly as he placed a small kiss on Emily's head. Her eyelids kept fluttering open and then closed as they gradually caught up to Reid and stopped.

Spencer quickly dialed Garcia's number and watched as Derek looked down at Emily, his eyes open wide as he gently patted her cheek.

"C'mon, Emily. You gotta stay awake."

A soft moan escaped her tight lips and she turned her head away from him. "It hurts."

"What hurts?"

A second whimper broke through her lips as her breath hitched. "Head.."

"Garcia's sending a medic. The team's on their way." Reid said, a hint of worry laced his voice, "we need to get to the road, though. Garcia said it's half a mile this way." He pointed to his left.

Morgan looked at Emily and made the decision to pick her up in his arms. He nodded and Reid and the two took of running towards the road. Despite the burning in his lungs and arms, Morgan continued to run. Emily was declining faster than he was comfortable with.

About seven minutes later, according to Reid, they made it to the side of the road, both men panting and trying to catch their breath. Reid looked over at Morgan, who still had Emily in his arms. She was still awake, however, her eyelids would flutter closed frequently and she hadn't spoken in quite some time.

"Morgan, lay her down and put her head on your leg."

"Why?" Morgan asked, yet he still followed the young doctor's instructions.

"I think she might have some brain swelling as a result from the crash." He said quickly, bending down to help him position her head correctly.

"How bad is it?"

Reid shook his head, letting his eyes scan over his nearly unconscious friend. "I don't know."

Morgan studied Reid's face, searching for any sign of something other than worry, but found nothing. He realized then, Emily's situation was dire. Moving his eyes off the boy's, he looked down at his partner, cocking his head slightly. He plastered a small smile onto his face to reassure her that everything was fine.

"Emily, I need you to squeeze my hand," He said, wrapping his own hand into hers.

Her eyebrows raised, telling him she was trying to and then he felt the smallest bit of pressure around his hand. "Good, that's it. Just keep squeezing."

Reid was standing a few feet farther down the road, ready to flag down the team and the ambulance. Only minutes later, he could hear the sirens and relief flooded into every nook and cranny in his body. Moments later he saw the flashing lights and he waved his hands in the air, effectively grabbing the attention of all of the drivers.

Rossi was the first one to exit the SUV, running over to Reid. After seeing that their genius was relatively unscathed, his eyes landed on Morgan, who was calling out for help. He ran over to his colleague and crouched down next to him.

"How long has she been down?" Rossi asked, just as Hotch joined them.

"We need a medic! Now!" Hotch called out.

Derek ignored Rossi's initial question and continued to stroke Emily's dark, amber hair away from her face. "She—she was fine! She was talking—"

"Derek!" Rossi yelled, causing Derek to look at him. "How long as she been down?" He asked in a much softer tone.

"I—I don't know. She just lost consciousness."

Two medics quickly approached the three men, carrying multiple backpacks full of an array of medical supplies. "Please step back," they directed Hotch and Rossi then addressed Derek. "What happened, sir?"

"We were in a car accident, she took the brunt of the impact." He started, "She was fine earlier, then she became dizzy, then vomited a few times. She couldn't walk right, or talk very well." Derek informed him, then carefully helped the medic place her head flat on the ground. He remained next to her, and held her head steady when the female medic advised him to as they rolled her onto a stretcher.

The medics nodded, and the older of the two flagged down a third medic. "Josh, can you set up an oxygen mask? Allison, you insert an IV and push two grams of Mannitol." He pulled out his pen and clicked on the light at the end, using his fee hand to peel back her eyelids. "Ma'am? Can you hear me?"

"Her name is Emily." Reid said, biting his thumb nail as he stood behind Derek.

"Emily? I'm Sam, can you tell me what hurts?"

To everyone's surprise, Emily's eyes peeled open. She looked around, her eyes unfocused and dazed. Sam looked into her eyes and furrowed his brows. "Let's get going." He said, a hint of urgency mixed into his usually calm voice.

As Derek stood up, he winced and grabbed at his side.

"Sir, are you okay?" Sam asked, placing a hand just below Derek's shoulder.

"I'm fine, just some bruised ribs. Just help Emily, please."

Sam's eyes narrowed at him, doubting the darker agents assessment of his own injuries. Sam lifted up his shirt and a display of blacks, blues and purples littered his side. "Agent, why don't you ride along with us?"

Morgan nodded and looked back at Reid, Hotch and Rossi.

"We'll meet you at the hospital." Hotch said as the three men nearly sprinted into the SUV.

Once in the ambulance, Derek sat on the bench while the younger medic, Josh, inspected his bruising. However, Derek's eyes never left Emily's still body on the stretcher. Her eyes were open, but were showing no signs of clarity or lucidity. He desperately wanted to hold her hand and tell her everything was going to be okay, but he was too far away.

Every head turned towards her as she let out a quiet, yet piercing cry. For Derek Morgan, this moment had to go towards the top of the list for scariest moments of his life. It was fairly close to witnessing his father's death.

Her mouth was open under the mask, emitting the high-pitched cry, and her eyes were hazy but open. Derek watched as she looked around the bright ambulance, searching for what he assumed was a familiar face. He quickly shooed away the medic and stood up next to her, locking their eyes.

"Shh…it's okay, we're almost there." He soothed, gently brushing her hair back. Second later, he watched as her brown eyes rolled to the back of her head as she began shaking violently.

"She's seizing!" Josh called out.

"You gotta do something!" Derek cried.

Sam quickly turned Emily onto her side and tore the oxygen mask away from her face. Drool immediately trickled out of the side of her mouth while her body continued to spasm.

"What's our ETA?" Sam hollered to the driver.

"Two minutes!"

Less than a minute after the seizure started, it was over. Sam gently turned her onto her back and placed the oxygen mask over her face. Her eyes were now closed and if he couldn't have seen the rise and fall of her chest, Derek would've thought she was dead.

The ambulance slowly came to a stop and right after the doors were open, Derek saw the familiar faces of his friends and colleagues. JJ had somehow made her way to the hospital to join them, and he flashed him a brief but reassuring smile.

The team of medics quickly rushed Emily's stretcher into the hospital, the agents all following closely behind. Medical jargon was being shouted back and forth between the medics and the doctor who'd been waiting for their arrival. Sam, Allison and Josh stepped back and the team of doctors and nurses took over, pushing their friend between another set of double doors, disappearing shortly after.

Derek stood, unmoving, in the center of the group. The numbness he'd felt since waking up in the basement was now diminishing rapidly. The sharp pain in his side now making itself known while his shoulders ached at every twitch. He hunched over, hands clutching at his sides and nearly fell into a plastic chair.

"Morgan?" JJ asked as she quickly walked over towards him, placing a warm hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Hotch silently waved down a nurse who grabbed a wheel chair and spun it around to face him.

"Agent, why don't we take a look at your ribs." She said, a comforting smile gracing her lips. "I'll update you as soon as I know something about your friend."

Derek looked up at Hotch, who only gave him a stern glare in return.

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" He mused.

"No." Hotch replied. "Reid, why don't you get checked out too. You were in a car accident yesterday."

Reid caught himself before he protested, closing his open mouth and giving them a silent nod. He couldn't do much anyway, besides run the statistics of Emily's condition through his mind over and over again. Wordlessly, the two wounded agents were admitted and assigned their own rooms.

"Where did they take her?" Hotch demanded at the young nurse who'd stayed back.

"They are most likely running some scans right now. As soon as I know more, I will let you know." She said with a sympathetic smile before grabbing a chart and running off.

Sam had hung back from his team, watching as the broken FBI agents struggled to comprehend the past few hours. He found himself walking over towards the leader, Agent Hotchner, and the other two quickly flocking towards him.

"She's in good hands," Sam said, giving them an encouraging smile, "the neurosurgeon here is one of the best—"

"Neurosurgeon?" Rossi asked, his eyebrows raised.

Sam exhaled, he'd never dealt with profilers before and know understood how difficult it was to slip anything by with them. "From what my team and I gathered," he gestured back towards Josh and Allison, "Emily endured what we call a 'traumatic brain injury' yesterday in the crash. As a result of the injury, her brain began to swell."

"Why were her symptoms delayed? She was fine…" JJ asked.

"Swelling takes time to occur, and as the swelling gets worse, that's when symptoms begin to show. Sometimes people feel fine and then begin to rapidly decline, like Emily." Sam said.

"Will she be okay?" Rossi asked, keeping his tone optimistic. He couldn't stand to lose her.

Sam bit his lip, unsure how to answer the hopeful agents. He'd seen patients with brain swelling go both ways - some made relatively fast and easy recoveries, while others were in a near vegetative states or dead. And, with Emily's rapidly declining heath, combined with the vomiting and seizure, he knew she was one of the severe cases.

Hotch could tell the medic was trying to decide what to say, so he broke his trance. "Be honest."

He looked up at the agents and locked eyes with the blondes wide, blue eyes. He exhaled before continuing. "It's bad. The vomiting and seizing are both signs of fairly advanced swelling." He said solemnly, "But the doctors will work to drain the fluid and she will be given the best chance at recovery."

Aaron looked at of his agents. JJ was nervously biting at her fingernails while Rossi seemed to be intrigued with the white paint that covered the walls. Despite not getting the news they'd been so desperate for, they had more answers now than they did an hour ago. Hotch thanked the medic for his help, and Sam joined Allison and Josh and the trio left through the double doors, presumably on their way to the next emergency.

The team stood in the lobby, each sorting out exactly what had happened over the past twenty-four hours.

Hotch, Rossi and JJ were then left to themselves. To worry about their injured friends who'd just been the victims of their newest case.

JJ softly excused herself, stepping away from the two senior profilers and making her way to the double doors. She breathed in the crisp, morning air and pulled out her cell phone. She clicked the speed dial and listened to the monotone ringing in her ear.

"JJ? Please tell me my babies are alright! I haven't heard anything and I—they have to be okay!" The technical analyst nearly cried into the speaker. "I'm about to board a plane as we speak."

"Garcia," She said breathlessly, pinching the bridge of her nose with her middle finger and thumb. "Derek and Spence should be fine, just a couple cuts and bruises. Derek might have some fractured ribs—"

"Oh! My poor chocolate thunder! Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine." JJ said, and before she could continue, Penelope's voice broke through.

"Oh thank the heavens. I don't know what I'd do if—"

"Penelope!" JJ yelled, a bit louder than she'd intended to, but it'd gotten the analysts attention. "It's Emily. They think she's got brain swelling, she—" her voice cracked and she swallowed to regain her composure, "it's not good."

"Oh…oh gosh. How…" Penelope whispered, unable to truly comprehend the utterly devastating news.

JJ brought her free hand up to her cheeks, wiping away her own tears. "Just…just get here, okay?"

"I'll be there faster than a jaguar running through the forest." Garcia chirped, settling into her seat next to an older man. She smiled at him, content when he returned the gesture. "I'll see you soon Jayje."

"See ya, PG. Have a safe flight."

JJ turned her cell phone off, moving her gaze up to the sky. She shut her eyes, willing Emily to be okay. For their team to leave this dreadful city together. As a family. She broke out of her thoughts when a gentle hand cupped her shoulder. She blinked and turned her head and was immediately met with Rossi's tender eyes.

"Hey, kiddo. We can go see Derek now."

She quickly straightened out, unable to contain her excitement. "He's okay?"

Rossi nodded.

"And Spence?"

"He's alright, too. Derek's got some fractured ribs and a mild concussion. Reid has some road rash on his shoulder and a sprained thumb, but the kid will be fine." Rossi said, placing a gentle hand in the crook of her back. "Let's go see 'em, huh?"

She smiled softly and nodded. The pair walked back into the hospital where they met Hotch in the middle of the lobby.

"Doctor said she'd surprised Derek was able to carry Prentiss through the woods for how long he did with the fractured ribs." Hotch said, pride clearly written on his face. He was beyond grateful to be the leader of a team that had such a strong bond, he knew not every team was as lucky as they were. He just hoped nothing would change after this case.

"They're partners. He'd never leave her behind." JJ said, recalling several occasions in which Emily and Morgan had saved each other's asses in the field.

The three agents walked down the hall to room 107, where both Reid and Morgan were. Hotch opened the door and was relieved to see both men, sitting up, alive and well.

Right after they entered, Morgan perked up. "How's Emily?"

"Nothing new," Hotch said, glancing at Rossi and JJ. He'd decided to leave out what Sam had told them at the last second. Hotch figured that Sam hadn't seen any of the test results so he could've been mistake. There was a chance none of what he'd told them was true. Until Hotch heard from the doctor, he didn't want to say anything. "So what happened yesterday?"

How it had only been a matter of days since the crash baffled the genius. The cellar seemed so long ago — wait. The cellar!

"After the crash, we woke up in a cellar of some sort." Reid said. "We managed to overpower the man, but he might've gotten out—"

"That's right," Derek said, finally recalling the events of the past day fully. "He was short, thin. Not the type of guy to hold three FBI agents captive."

Despite the initial shock of learning that his agents had been abducted, the profiler mode in Hotch came out. "Could you describe him to a sketch artist?"

Morgan glanced back at Reid, both shrugging. "Yeah, yeah we could." He said. "He was handcuffed in the cellar but, he probably got out by now."

Hotch nodded and dialed Garcia. "She brought her laptop, right?" He aimed his question towards JJ who nodded. "Garcia? I need you to search for a cabin or house in the woods near the location Prentiss, Reid and Morgan were found." He paused for a second as he heard her quick typing, "And once you find it, send a unit to the location. The unsub may still be there."

"Got it, sir. Is there anything else I can do ya for?"

"No, that's all."

There was a brief, but hesitant pause from the technical analyst. "Sir, is there an update on Emily?"

"Nothing yet. We'll hopefully know more by the time you get here."

They both said their goodbyes and Hotch hung up.

Before Derek was able to complain about how long it was taking for an update, a nurse opened the door, dressed in yellow scrubs and a scrub cap. "You're here for Emily Prentiss, correct?"

"Yes." JJ and Hotch answered in unison.

"We just wanted to let you know were taking her into emergency surgery to perform a Ventriculostomy, where an external ventricular drain will be placed." The older woman said, noting the confusion written on all their faces, excluding the thin man in the bed to the left. "The surgeon will place a tube that will help drain the fluid caused by the cerebral edema." When their expressions became more confused, she corrected herself in a way for them to understand. "The brain swelling."

"She'll be okay, though, after the surgery. Right?" JJ said, her blue eyes wide in apprehension.

Nurse Jamie ran her hand over her ponytail. "We'll have to wait and see until she wakes up. Now, if you'll excuse me," she quickly exited the room and sprinted back up to the operating room to join the neurosurgeon.

"Brain swelling?" Derek asked, shock evident in his wide eyes and quiet voice.

"Traumatic brain injuries are actually quite common, affecting more than two-hundred million people every year—"

Derek shut his eyes. "Kid, not now. Please."

"We just have to wait." Rossi said, pulling out the chair next to Morgan's bed and lowered himself into it. "It could be a while."

As the team settled into the crammed room, Hotch's phone began buzzing in his pocket. Expecting it to be Garcia, he was very surprised to see the police Chief's number.

"Chief Berkley, I apologize for not updating you—"

"I'm not calling about that." He interrupted, the urgency in his voice obvious, "Vanessa Cambell was just found."

Hotch's heart sank. They hadn't been able to get to her on time, and now his ritual would start all over again, victimizing yet another innocent woman. Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to come up with a response that would be suitable for this moment.

"I am—" Hotch started, before Berkley cut him off yet again.

"She's alive."

 **Ah! My first kinda-real cliffhanger! What do you think? Please do leave a review…if you think the characterization was off or if I mixed something up, PLEASE let me know! Also, I'm doing my best with the medical stuff…I'm not a nurse or doctor or surgeon (I barely qualify to hold a kitchen knife) so I'm not familiar with much of the medical aspects. I do look it up and research it as much as I can before and as I write, but if you notice something major, let me know!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the wait, but chapter 3 is here! I just arrived home after a long vacation. I spent a copious amount of time with my family and relaxing. It was exactly what the doctor had called for ;) Now, it's back to the daily grind. Hope you enjoy

 **WARNINGS:** Dark themes, violence, mild language

\- I will put an extra warning on chapters if I believe it's necessary

 **Disclaimer:** Our wonderful crime fighters are not mine

 **Set in season late 5/early 6**

Please leave reviews after reading…they really help motivate me to write! I feed off of them !

 _Chapter 3 : Waiting_

 _…_

"Rossi, you and JJ go talk to Vanessa." Hotch said, still reeling from the recent news, "See what she knows. Maybe we can nail this guy."

The blonde and Rossi hesitated slightly, which didn't go unnoticed by Hotch.

"I understand our thoughts are with Emily, but right now, sitting and doing nothing won't help her. We still have a job to do." Hotch said sternly, but softened his gaze.

The two agents left the room, leaving Hotch, Morgan and Reid alone to wait. Reid quickly got out of his bed, as he was not expected to remain in it. His injuries were relatively minor and he did not plan on staying in bed for either one. He held the injured hand, now covered in a thumb brace, close to his body while he paced back and forth. He noticed Hotch doing the same, neither man could sit still. He knew that Derek would be doing the same if it wasn't for the injured ribs and concussion.

About an hour passed when they heard shuffling in the hall. Moments later, the very colorful Penelope Garcia burst through the door.

"Oh my gosh," She said, quickly clicking her way towards Derek, "I heard about everything, are you okay?"

"Baby girl, I'm fine—"

Then, she gently nudged his shoulder. "Derek Morgan, you are not allowed to scare me like that again!"

"Ow! Alright!"

Once the distraction of Penelope's entrance wore off, the room fell back into its gloomy tone. It was as if a blanket of worry and tension was placed over their room. Hotch and Reid both paced, heads hung low and Reid was biting at his fingernails. Garcia took a seat in the chair closest to Derek's bed and had her book open in her lap. However, she hadn't turned the page since she'd opened it.

"Vanessa couldn't say much," Rossi said, holding the door for JJ before letting it fall closed. "The unsub kept her blindfolded."

"Did she give you anything?" Hotch asked.

"She said she was kept in a basement, maybe a cellar. The ground was cement and it was damp." JJ said, fidgeting with her fingers. She wasn't used to confronting the victims of their cases in such an intimate matter, but she knew she had to do it.

Hotch excused himself in order to give Chief Berkley an update, quickly filling him in on what Vanessa told them and that Garcia was looking into the basement. He informed him of Emily's situation and let him know they'd be at the hospital until the surgery was complete.

It had been nearly two hours since Emily was taken back, which made Reid quicken his pace, as he knew the placement of an external drain was quite simple in terms of insertion and time.

Rossi and JJ had set up a game of chess and were both using it as a distraction and a way to pass the time. Neither of them could leave their minds free to wander, as JJ immediately imagined the worst case scenarios and made her even more worried.

"Emily Prentiss?" An older doctor said. The tall man had roots that were just beginning to transform into grey, along with prominent scowl wrinkles in his forehead and mouth.

"Yes." Hotch said. "How is she?"

"I'm Dr. Kuller, I performed Ms. Prentiss' surgery." Kuller said, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "The drain placement was successful. It is draining the local edema surrounding her brain and her ICP, or Intracranial Pressure is already beginning to decrease." He said, observing the six extremely concerned faces. "She is currently being moved into a room in the Neurological ICU where she will be monitored extremely closely for signs of bleeding or infection."

A silence broke over the room as everyone took a moment to digest the news. "Can we see her?" Penelope asked, the usual chirp absent from her voice.

"Agent Prentiss is unable to have visitors as of now. She is intubated right now, relying fully on the ventilator to breath. Once she is stable and settled in her room, I can take two of you at a time."

"So, she's going to be okay?" Garcia asked, hopeful.

Dr Kuller sighed. This was his least favorite part of his job, yet he always seemed to be in the position. He looked at the very vibrant woman, unable to find the correct words.

"We will not know if the swelling caused any brain damage until she wakes up." The energetic woman covered her hand with her mouth, unable to stem the stream of tears flowing down her cheeks. "We'll run and EEG test to monitor her brain activity. Until then, it's just a waiting game."

Hotch nodded, unfolding his arms and reaching out to shake the doctor's hand. "Thank you, for everything."

Dr. Kuller offered them a sympathetic smile before he stepped out of the room. Nobody said a word.

"I want you all to get some rest." He held up his hand before any of them could protest. "None of you have gotten any sleep in at least two days. I've gotten a few rooms at the motel across the street, you all look exhausted. Some sleep will do us some good."

"What about you?" JJ asked.

"I'll stay here with Morgan," He flashed his gaze towards Derek, who simply nodded, "and I'll call as soon as we can see her."

…

The next morning, the team was back at the hospital by seven in the morning. Nobody got a tremendous amount of sleep, but Hotch could tell they were more energetic and well rested compared the past few days.

"Good morning agents," A young, brunette nurse chirped, "I'm here to take two of you to see Ms Prentiss."

They'd already decided that Rossi and JJ would be the first pair to visit, followed by Morgan and Garcia and lastly, Hotch and Reid. Hotch had told them that after they'd had their visit, they needed to return to the police precinct to help work the case. Although Vanessa Cambell was released alive, it didn't fit his M.O which was worrisome. They had very little to go off of now, as the forensic report showed no fingerprints, DNA or trace evidence. It was like they were back at square one.

Rossi and JJ followed the slender woman down the hall and to the elevators. They rode in silence until the elevator ding alerted them of their arrival on the neuro ICU floor. The brunette took the initiative, stepping off the elevator and directing them to room 403. She abruptly stopped next to a wall, just in front of the glass doors that would lead them to Emily, her smile quickly slipping off her face.

"You may want to take a moment to prepare yourselves," she peaked into the room briefly, her stance stiffening, "your friend has a ventilator that is breathing for her, which means there are a multitude of wires and tubes."

JJ's eyes widened as the shock hit her. This was really happening. Her best friend was fighting for her life in the neurology ICU. She took a deep inhale, trying to calm her jittery nerves.

"As you were aware, she also had an external ventricular drain placed. There is a thick layer of dressing around her head and a fairly large drain that is pulling out the excess fluid."

Rossi and JJ gave each other an encouraging nod as they silently agreed they were ready to see their friend.

"You're ready?" The nurse asked, placing her hand on the doorknob.

They both nodded simultaneously. She led them a few more feet ahead of them and the glass doors opened swiftly. JJ's hand went to cover her mouth at the sight of the woman lying in the bed.

"I'll be outside if you need anything." She said, stepping back and allowed the automatic glass doors to slide shut.

With her hand still covering her mouth and tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, JJ silently drifted over to the side of Emily's bed while Rossi stood at the end of it. She delicately placed her own hand on top of Emily's, as if one wrong touch would completely shatter her. She eased her way into the lone chair next to the bed, her eyes never leaving the face of the brunette woman. Her eyes were closed, but each had large, purple bags underneath her eyelids. The tube that currently snaked its way down her throat hissed, causing her chest to rise, then went quiet for a moment before the process started again.

Rossi stood at the end of her bed, his hands gripping the ridge as he stared at his colleague. The tubes that ran down her arms were each connected to some sort of bag or machine, none of which he was familiar with. The drain that came out of the dressing led down to a bag that was hidden at the side of the bed, a reddish liquid pooling at the bottom. On top of the ventilator pulsating, he could hear the steady beat of her heart monitor. The one thing that really convinced him that she was, indeed, alive. That this all wasn't his own mind playing tricks on him.

It's going to be okay," JJ said, interrupted by the hissing of the ventilator, "you're okay. You're okay…" The blonde repeated the mantra over and over again while gently stroking Emily's cheek with her thumb. "Everything is okay."

…

"Derek Morgan, if you don't sit that wonderfully magnificent ass of yours into this chair _right now_ , I will call the doctor back in here." Penelope said, standing up straighter and positioning her hands on each hip.

Derek chuckled and accepted his defeat. "I'll do what you say, baby girl, but I really do not need a wheel chair. I am fine."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever you say Mr. Broken ribs and Concussion." She pushed the chair next to his bed and gently held his shoulder as he lowered himself into the chair with a groan. "I'll believe you when you stop moaning."

Penelope pushed the dark agent out of his room and towards the elevator. Since Morgan was still in the hospital under observation, Garcia decided to set up her computers in his room and bunk with him until he was released. It'd been almost two weeks since the crash and Emily hadn't woken up yet. The team was no closer to catching their unsub, or finding the man who'd abducted Morgan, Prentiss and Reid. It seemed as though both unsubs had dropped off the face of the Earth, as Garcia had described it. Her computer could not find any trace on either case, which only infuriated the feisty blonde.

The two of them had been deemed the "Emily watchers" as the rest of the team was needed at the station, leaving the two to keep them updated on Emily's condition.

Nothing had changed.

Her ICP, or intracranial pressure had been slowly decreasing each day and there was no signs of infection. But, she hadn't woken up yet, either. So, really there was nothing new.

The pair was excited to visit their friend as the day before was a 'no visitors' day.

 _"_ _The patients need a day to rest."_ The nurse had said after Derek, very charmingly, tried to convince her to bend the rules for them. The rest of the team was back at the police station, attempting to re-profile their unsub and figure out his next move. There had been no killings or abductions since he let Vanessa go.

Now it was eight twenty in the morning, ten minutes until visiting hours began. Penelope walked them towards the front desk where they got visitor pass stickers. They both placed them towards the right corner of their shirts and listened to the nurse talk about what to expect. She said that in addition to the medical tubes, she'd have EEG monitors plastered to her forehead. Although she wasn't conscious yet, her medical team wanted a gage of where her brain activity levels were.

Both of them nodded, anxiously awaiting for the nurse to allow them to actually see their friend. The nurse directed them to the room directly behind the nurse's station. Derek noted the glass walls and small cubicles that housed the neurological ICU patients. Reid had informed them that the walls were glass so that the nurses always had a visual on the patient in each room. The rooms also came equipped with automatic sliding doors so that medical equipment and medical personnel had easy access to each room.

Derek began to stand up out of the chair, causing Penelope to nearly cry out.

"Derek! You need to sit—"

"Are we going to have this fight every day?" He smirked.

The dark agent completely the ache in his side. He placed a tentative hand around his ribs and trudged towards Emily's bed. Standing over her, he observed the new wires on her forehead. The hissing of the ventilator, although familiar, put him on edge. Knowing the reason behind him was more than upsetting in this situation. His hand found its way to hers, and he gently wrapped it up within his own.

"Good morning, agents." A tall, thin doctor said as he briskly made his way towards Emily. He began examining the monitors and the drain that was coming through the top of the gauze.

"Her ICP is looking better today, it's steadily decreasing." He smiled at the two agents, but his positivity did little to curb their concern. "That's a good thing."

Derek wanted to return the doctor's warm smile, but he felt Emily's hand twitch in his.

"Her hand twitched." He said, his eyes open wide. "I—I felt it."

The doctor quickly made his way to the side of the bed, a scowl and concentration etched into his features. He pulled out a pen and clicked on the light, quickly peeling open her eyelids and shining it into her eyes.

He ran through another series of tests before sighing. "It doesn't seem like she's waking up—"

"I felt her hand move. I know I did." Derek insisted.

"It may be a sign of her beginning to wake up, or it might have just been a muscle twitch. Hopefully it was the former. Waking up after a traumatic brain injury such as Agent Prentiss' takes time." He put the pen back into his jacket pocket. "I'll be outside if anything else happens."

Derek and Penelope nodded, both focusing back on their friend once he was gone. Derek gently rubbed the bangs out of her face and away from the sticky electrodes.

"C'mon, baby. It's time to wake up."

…

"Erin, the case isn't closed yet. Not to mention Prentiss—"

"There hasn't been a murder in almost two weeks. The police have enough of a head start on him, if he resurfaces they will be better equipped to find him. I can't have one of the bureau's most valuable units working a cold case for much longer." Strauss said coldly.

Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose. "Agent Morgan and Agent Prentiss are still in the hospital—"

"Isn't Agent Morgan stable enough to transfer him to Quantico?"

"He's being released tonight. But Emily—"

"Aaron, this isn't up for debate. Your team needs to be back here by the end of the week."

Aaron straightened up. He couldn't let her push them around. "We will not leave Agent Prentiss behind."

"Then arrange for her to be transferred. I expect to see your team on Friday." She quipped and hung up.

"Strauss?" Rossi asked, leaning against the doorframe.

He raised his eyebrows, shaking his head. "She wants us back by Friday."

"Does she know that Emily hasn't been cleared to transfer?"

Aaron nodded. "She isn't giving us an option."

Rossi stepped into their assigned room and quietly closed the door. "The team isn't going to leave her behind. What's our plan?"

Hotch sighed and rubbed his hand over his chin. "My hands are tied here."

"I'll call Garcia and Morgan and let them know."

…

"I'm not leaving without her, Rossi." Morgan said, the anger boiling within him at the news. "I don't care about losing my damn job. How can we even consider leaving without her?"

"Strauss didn't give us an option. We have to be back on Friday."

Morgan scoffed. "Well I'm not leaving."

"Have you asked her doctor about transferring her?"

"Not yet, he hasn't come in today. It's just been nurses." Derek said, glancing at the monitors subconsciously. "Her ICP is almost back to normal. They're talking about removing the drain soon."

"Let us know what happens." Rossi said, then hung up.

Derek stuffed his cell back into his jean pocket and took a seat in the chair next to Emily's bed. A smile graced over his face at the pink and yellow blanket that Penelope had draped over Emily's chest and the multitude of stuffed animals surrounding her head.

 _"_ _They'll keep her company at night, when we can't be with her. This way, she'll never be alone."_

His smile quickly disappeared at the memory. He wasn't going to let the stuffed animals be the only company she had. There was no chance in hell that he would leave her alone.

"Good afternoon, Agent Morgan." Doctor Kuller said cheerfully. "Let's see how Emily is doing."

He checked each monitor, seemingly pleased with each. The one that mattered the most was the one that monitored her ICP. Doctor Kuller examined the monitor, and a big grin grew across his face.

"Well, it seems like the drain has done its job! Emily's intracranial pressure has returned to its normal levels." He said, turning to face Derek. "I'm comfortable removing the drain in a few hours as long as her ICP remains normal."

Derek immediately perked up in the chair. This was the first bit of good news about Emily's condition that he'd heard. "Does that mean we can move her closer to home?"

Kuller nodded. "Once the drain is out, she will be stable enough to transport."

"She'll wake up soon, too, right? Once the drain is out?" He asked, his shoulders broadening at the sudden burst of hope.

Doctor Kuller's face fell slightly, the edges of his mouth gradually falling as his face became stoic once again. Agent Morgan, your friend has suffered a fairly severe traumatic brain injury. She hasn't had much time to recuperate from the trauma, it has only been two weeks." He said, flipping her chart over on his clip board. "After all, time is the greatest healer."

 **Eh? How was it? I'm not sure if it is too short...I had most of it written before I left for my holiday and just finished it now that I'm home. I hope it is okay. I'm hoping to write longer chapters from here on out. Maybe around 4,000 words (at least) per chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please do leave a review and let me know how it was. Check back soon for the next chapter :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Welcome back and please enjoy!**

 **WARNINGS:** Dark themes, violence, mild language

\- I will put an extra warning on chapters if I believe it's necessary

 **Disclaimer:** Our wonderful crime fighters are not mine

 **Set in season late 5/early 6**

Please leave reviews after reading…they really help motivate me to write! I feed off of them !

 _Chapter 4 : Healing_

 _…_

After the team arrived back at the bureau late on Friday night, they were drowning in paperwork, especially Reid and Morgan.

 _'_ _Emily should be at her desk, complaining about the amount of paperwork being held captive creates'_ Derek thought to himself as he continued filling out the papers.

Instead, Emily was now being settled into the Intensive Care Unit at Stafford Hospital, about twenty five minutes away. Derek, along with the rest of the team, had stopped by to check on her after they landed, interested to see her without the drain and to see where she'd be for the immediate future.

Aaron's voice penetrated Derek's occupied mind, causing the dark agent to swivel his chair towards the unit chief's office.

"It's late," Hotch said, gripping onto the railing that overlooked the bullpen, "why don't you all go home. Get some rest. The paperwork can wait."

The team quickly dispersed, picking up jackets, bags and belongings before exchanging a few exhausted smiles. Smiles of acknowledgment. Each member acknowledged the evil battles they'd faced the previous two weeks, offering each other a small smile of encouragement that expressed their support. _We'll get though this. We always do._

As he watched each member of his team filtrate out the doors and back home, Derek Morgan decided to follow a different path. He gathered his items, shoving them into his go bag, before taking one last glance at his partner's empty desk. He sighed to himself, trying to keep the hope alive that she'd return to her desk some day.

…

No more than two hours away from the FBI's headquarters in Quantico, a man pulled up in front of a dingy motel, placing his car in park and removing the keys from the ignition. The drive from Washington to Quantico was only about an hour long, but he had to be extra cautious, hence the decision to crash at a hotel two hours away from the very people he'd been following.

"How much for one room?" He asked, pulling out his wallet, freshly stocked with cash.

An older man, maybe mid fifties, dressed in denim overalls and a cigarette between his lips hardly took his eyes off the daily newspaper. "Forty bucks."

Pulling out two twenty dollar bills from his wallet, he slid them across the table in exchange for the key.

"Room two, second one to your left." The clerk said as he filled in another number in the sudoku section.

Setting his bags on the ground, he stalked into his temporary home, noting the missing pillows from the bed. He'd have to request more later. For now, he went back to his bag and pulled out the thin picture from the side pocket. Letting his eyes scan over the image, his heart raced and he felt a surge of excitement flood into his blood.

"Soon, soon it'll be over. We'll be even." He said, grinning down at the smiling agent in the photo. "It's only a matter of time."

It was iconic, really. They'd been chasing him and now he was chasing them.

…

Derek held his head up with his left hand, barely able to keep his eyes open. Hotch had told them to get some sleep, but how could he? How could he sleep knowing his partner was in the hospital, alone, fighting for her life? If he'd only moved faster through the woods…

"I thought Hotch told you to get some sleep," A familiar voice said softly.

Derek jolted upwards, now fully alert. He turned to see David Rossi leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed across his chest. A slight smile licked at his lips as his eyes bore into Morgan's.

"I am sleeping."

Dave snorted back a laugh. "Yeah, I can see that." He said as he came deeper into the room. "Hotch gave us an order."

Just before Derek was going to defend his decision, a thought occurred to him. "You didn't follow them either."

Rossi's arms fell into his pockets. "Couldn't sleep." He looked passed Derek to the woman in the bed. "Any changes?"

Derek exhaled, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand, eyes searching her for _any_ sign of improvement. "Nothing. The doctors here want to redo the brain activity test."

"Why?"

Derek shrugged. "The hell if I know." His hand made its way past the ventilator, IV, monitors and other multitude of tubes coming out of his friend before settling on her forehead. He soothed the hair back away from her face, simply studying her features. He just wanted to see her brown eyes open.

"Mind if I stay? We can go into work later, finish up those reports." Rossi asked as he took a seat on the opposite side of the bed.

"Sure." Derek said absentmindedly, never moving his eyes off his partner.

Rossi gently patted Emily's shoulder, unable to push down the surging need to protect the younger woman, one who he considered to be a daughter. He could feel his heart swelling with love, the same kind a father would have towards his children. Sitting in the chair next to her, one of his favorite memories bubbled to the surface.

 _They'd gone to the house where the outbreak had spread to, a home now tented and it's residents removed. Men in large, yellow suits wandered in and out of the house, monitoring the levels of toxins within the home. He and Emily exited the SUV just as a woman whose face was whittled with concern, approached the house._

 _They were told not to inform the public. Something he knew Emily was struggling with. How can they keep something so dangerous, yet important, hidden from the very people it targeted?_

 _"_ _Excuse me!" She cried, running across the street towards them. "What's going on? Why is he in that suit?"_

 _"_ _Ma'am, please stay back," Rossi said, holding out his hand to stop her._

 _"_ _My kids are home," she briefly glanced back at her own home, "do I need to get them out of here?"_

 _Rossi and Emily glanced at each other before Emily took a small step forward. "It's pretty bad."_

 _"_ _Emily."_

 _With another brief glance back at Rossi, Emily continued to explain to the woman that the house was infested with toxic mold and that the suits were only to protect the men tearing down the walls. She concluded by assuring the worried mother that she and her children were in no danger._

 _As the woman retreated back to her house, Rossi and Emily continued walking up the driveway and towards the house._

 _"_ _Don't Emily me."_

The shrieking of his cell phone brought him back to reality. He fished the device out of his pocket, noting the time. Six o'clock. They had one house before they'd be expected back at the bureau.

"Hotch, what is it?"

"There's been a murder." A pause came from the other line. "A brunette woman, thirty nine, found severely beaten."

Rossi exhaled. "He followed us."

…

"Ms Thompson—"

The woman shook her head. "Please, call me Mary."

Derek nodded. "Mary, when did you notice your daughter was missing?"

Mary brought the light pink handkerchief up to her eyes, gently dabbing away the tears. "I didn't," she said, her voice cracking, "it's not unusual for us to go a few days without talking. I figured she was busy, you know? She's a lawyer, sometimes we don't talk for days."

"When was the last time you spoke to her?"

Mary paused, taking a moment to recall her last conversation with her daughter, Kerri. "A few days ago, Wednesday."

Derek shifted in his seat, leaning in a bit closer to the grey haired woman. "Did anything seem off when you talked?"

Mary shook her head. "Not at all! She was working towards some big promotion at work…she couldn't stop talking about it." She said, a ghost of a smile haunting her face at the memory of her daughter's excitement. "She was happy."

Morgan nodded again, standing up as he prepared to leave. "Thank you for your time, Mary. You've helped us a lot."

The woman's face held a soft smile that disappeared as her eyes found their way to his. Her blue eyes were empty, yet full of anger and hatred. "Agent Morgan, you find who did this."

…

Hotch and Rossi sat at the roundtable, neither speaking but both deep in thought.

"He's taunting us, we know that. But this feels more personal." Hotch said, narrowing his eyes at the image as if his glare would make the answer pop out at him.

The image, a picture of the note left with the latest victim, was displayed on their phones. Written in black pen on a piece of notepad paper was the message: My revenge is coming, watch out dear agent. I'm waiting.

Morgan walked in with JJ on his heels. "Coroner had nothing new. The injuries are consistent with the ones sustained by the Washington victims."

Rossi leaned back in his chair, frustrated at his inability to find the missing link. "He followed us from Washington back here, he's dedicated but patient."

"He's organized, pays attention to detail." Morgan said, opening up the files to pull out the images of the first three victims. "Look at how he dumped them."

Each woman, all with uncanny physical resemblance, were laid neatly on the side of a road. He had taken no measures to hide his victims. They'd concluded that he wanted them to be found. It was as though he wanted the team to chase him.

"Are we certain it's not connected to your abduction?" Rossi asked, directing his attention to Morgan.

Morgan shook his head. "Our guy was the opposite of this unsub. He was unorganized, lacked confidence. He was easily overpowered."

"Chief Berkley had a team go to the cabin in the woods where you were held," JJ said, recalling the phone call she'd had with the chief, "he was already gone. We have his prints but Garcia couldn't find a match. He's not in the system."

"Morgan, I want you to go to the hospital and switch with Reid. Tell him we need him back here" Hotch said. "The rest of us will keep working. If he sticks to his old pattern, another woman will be abducted soon."

…

Morgan had arrived at the hospital about an hour earlier, relieving Reid and sending him back to the bureau. Although he hated that this was how he had to spend time with Emily, he was happy to have a break from thinking about the case and just sit with his partner. He held her hand and simply stared at her, memorizing every detail of her face. The mouth piece of the ventilator covered the lower half of her face, but he was content with staring at her closed eyes. With each hiss of the machine, he was silently willing her to wake up so they could remove the damn machine.

 _Walking through the woods with one injured colleague was difficult. He was now responsible for almost all of her weight, while keeping an eye out for fallen branches, roots or rocks that could potentially cause both of them to trip and fall. His sole goal was protecting his wounded partner and getting her the medical help she so desperately needed._

 _"_ _Kid, how much farther is the road? I don't know how much longer…" He trailed off. Multiple endings to that sentence swam in his mind. How much longer I can support her weight? How much longer she can make it How much longer until…we lose her?_

 _Breathlessly, Reid paused and glanced at his phone screen. "Just a little longer."_

 _Morgan inhaled deeply. Determined to fill his screaming lungs with enough air to continue. They couldn't give up now. If he did, she'd pay the price, not him. So he pushed forward._

 _No more than two minutes later, with her head rested on his shoulder, she looked up at him. He returned her gaze, noticing the cloudy and unfocused look in her brown eyes. "You're doing great." He said, offering her a small smile._

 _She blinked slowly, seemingly struggling to reopen her eyes. "Der…derek."_

 _"_ _Shh…"_

 _She swallowed and licked her lips. "Tha…thanks."_

 _His heart swelled with love for this woman, his partner. She'd never had an overly loving or close knit family in her childhood. Her parents were relatively cold and caught up in the politics of their work while their daughter was growing up. Now, he would prove to her that she did have a family. At the BAU, she was a part of a family._

 _"_ _Hey, you don't have to thank me." He said sincerely, then letting himself grin. "And anyway, you can make it up to me in that sweet hot tub of yours."_

 _He heard her snort, which was followed by a few coughs. "Deal."_

Movement in his left hand tore him out of his dream. When he had fallen asleep, he had no idea. He glanced at the clock and saw it had only been three hours since he arrived at the hospital. Focusing back on the reason he woke up, he looked down at Emily's hand intertwined in his.

 _"_ _It might just be a muscle twitch."_

He waited several minutes, hoping to God that he'd feel her squeeze again. His eyes scanned her face for any sign of movement. His heart sank when after ten minutes there was nothing. Sighing, he reached for his cell phone which was resting on the bedside table and unlocked it. He saw a text from Garcia and two messages from Hotch.

He responded to Garcia's text quickly, telling her that Emily was okay

Hotch's first message was the same as Garcia's. _"How's Prentiss?"_

But the second one caught all of his attention. _"We found the warehouse where he held Kerri Thompson. Team is headed their now. Stay with Prentiss."_

Now, Derek Morgan felt torn. He knew he needed to stay with Emily, but he felt this strange _urge_ to be with the rest of the team, backing them up in case something went wrong. However, the psychology classes he took in college explained this thought to him. When they got into the car crash, they were only suppose to be driving back to the station after an interview. Something that in their field, was not deemed dangerous, yet it had become deadly. After experiencing that, he felt the need to protect his friends. Irrational, yes. They were more than capable and could easily hold their own.

A squeeze. This time, it was a squeeze. Not a twitch.

He stood up over her, eyes once again scanning her face for any signs that she was going to open her eyes. "C'mon, baby. Open your eyes." He gently pushed back her hair, eyes boring down onto her closed lids. "Please…" He whispered.

Another squeeze. Weaker this time, but a squeeze.

"Emily, open your eyes. It's okay, I'm right here." He said, feeling his chest tighten in excitement and apprehension. His breathe was hitched in his throat and he found himself holding his breath.

Then, her eyebrows raised and he watched as her eyes slowly peeled open after being closed for a little over two weeks.

Derek smiled, his first genuine smile since the crash. "Hey there," he said softly while he let his finger press the nurses call button on the side of the bed. He studied her eyes, which now lazily looked around the room.

Three nurses then rushed into the room, quickly noticing that their patient was awake. "Well, look whose back!"

The head nurse, Sheryl, went to the side of Emily's bed and looked at the monitors. "Holly, she's not breathing over the tube. We'll leave it in and set up a consult with Respiratory." She said, grabbing her pen-light and clicking it on. "Let Dr Kuller know that Agent Prentiss is awake."

"On it." Holly said, quickly exiting the room.

"Agent Prentiss, my name is Sheryl. I have a few questions to ask you. Blink once for yes, twice for now. Do you think you can do that?"

For a few painstaking moments, Derek waited for her to respond. _Please…give us a sign that your brain works.._

Emily blinked once.

"Good!" Sheryl said, a big smile spreading across her face. "Do you remember what happened?"

Emily looked around the room, unable to pull the memory of why she was lying in a hospital bed with a tube down her throat from her brain. Her eyes watered a bit and she gave them two blinks.

"Okay, that's no big deal. You were in a car crash." Sheryl said and Emily looked back to Derek who simply gave her hand a squeeze. "You sustained a head injury."

Emily stared blankly back at the two of them and Sheryl decided to continue. "Emily, are you in pain?"

It was as if that one question opened the flood gates and the pain registered in her brain all at once, nearly suffocating her. She quickly gave them one blink, and then let the tears fall.

Derek nearly cried himself at her answer. She was in pain and she must've been in a great deal of pain in order to cry in front of them. Emily Prentiss was not one to show any weakness and in her book, crying was a big no-no.

"We'll give you something to help, okay? Just hang in there." Sheryl said, patting Emily's shoulder and moving towards the cabinets on the walls. She grabbed a vile and a syringe, extracting the dosage from the vile and then injected it into the IV bag.

Only moments later, Morgan watched as Emily noticeably relaxed and her eyelids began drooping. "She's probably going to sleep a lot for now. The pain medication often causes patients to be drowsy."

Hesitantly, Morgan stepped away from Emily and stood in front of Sheryl. "Why wasn't she breathing over the tube, like you said?"

"There are many reasons, but it could just be that she's exhausted after everything she's been through and her lungs are still recuperating. We'll have to recheck in a few days."

"Well, it's good that she answered the questions, right? It means she doesn't have any brain damage?"

Sheryl sighed. "Agent Morgan, the brain is a complex organ. Damage can occur in any area, causing issues. She may have to relearn how to do things we take for granted, such as walking or talking." Derek's eyes widened. "Just give her time. We will know more as time goes on. Be patient."

Sheryl gently squeezed his shoulder, offering a reassuring smile. "Dr Kuller should be here to check on her soon." She said and left the dark agent alone with his sleeping partner. Cautiously, he pulled out his cell phone again and pulled up the group message Penelope had set up for them.

"Emily is awake." He typed and then sent the message. He walked back over to Emily's side, sinking back into the chair. He'd expected her wake up to be a joyous event, one filled with hope and excitement. Instead, he was left with a feeling of even more uncertainty and dread.

…

Emily first noticed the fact that her eyelids felt like they were being weighted down with bricks, preventing her from opening her eyes and telling whoever was talking to shut the hell up so she could sleep. She felt unbelievably tired. It felt like the worst hangover she'd ever had, even worse than the one she'd managed to give herself in Vegas last year. Her head was swimming and she couldn't think straight. It was a familiar feeling but she just couldn't put her tongue on it…

Pain meds. She was on pain meds. Why though?

She could hear voices. They sounded familiar but she couldn't identify who they were coming from.

"Why couldn't she remember anything last time she woke up?" A voice asked. When had she woken up before?

"She is still on a handful of meds that are making her drowsy. There is nothing to be concerned about just yet. It's all a part of the waking up process." Someone responded.

Forcefully, she forced her eyes to open. Something that took way more effort than it usually did, but she needed to know what was going on.

As the two voices continued to discuss her injuries, a third voice joined the mix, presumably a male. "Hey, she's awake."

Suddenly, blue eyes were staring down at her and she immediately recognized them as JJ. "Emily?" The blonde asked, a slight hitch of worry laced in her words. "Can you hear me?"

Emily's eyes were open wide as she struggled to comprehend everything. As she tried to talk, she found that not only she couldn't actually make sound come out of her mouth, but there was something blocking her airway.

Rossi watched as Emily weakly lifted her hand, which was now trembling at the action, up towards the tube. Quickly, he grabbed her hand gently and then met her eyes. "Hey, Kiddo. You have to leave the tube alone, okay?"

Emily looked towards JJ who offered her a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes which were packed with concern.

"Emily, my name is Sheryl. Do you remember me? Blink once for yes, twice for no."

Sheryl. The name sounded familiar and she had vague memories of her shoulder-length silver hair. She blinked once.

"Good," Sheryl said with a smile. "Now, I know the tube is uncomfortable but just relax and let it do the work for you, okay? You were in a car accident and your body is still recovering."

Rossi observed his friend as she struggled to relax in the bed, opening and closing her eyes as she struggled to regain control of her quivering body. She opened her eyes and he caught eye contact with her. He could see the panic and confusion deep in her brown orbs. Carefully stepping around the wires and tubes, he gently captured her hand in his, which she clutched forcefully. He leaned down closer to her, smoothing her damp hair out of her face. "Just relax. I know its hard, but let the machine do its job."

Rossi's soothing voice was all she needed and she finally began to calm down and release the tension in her muscles.

"There ya go." He said, smiling down at her. "You're doing great."

Once Emily was calmed down, Sheryl told them that a neurologist would be coming in later that day to run through a series of neurological tests and to start assessing any damage so they would have a better plan moving forward. She told them she'd be outside if they needed anything and that they could only allow two in Emily's room at a time, so they'd have to switch places with the other members of the team who were in the hall.

Rossi continued to hold Emily's hand, whose grip was stronger than he had imagined it could be in her physical state. His phone dinged and alerted him that he'd gotten a text, so he pulled the device out of his pocket. It was from Hotch.

 _'_ _Come outside. Important.'_

Rossi looked down at the woman in the bed, noticing that she looked as though she was on the verge of panicking. Her eyes darted around the room while she was unable to communicate. Not to mention the death grip she had on his hand.

 _'_ _Can it wait?'_ He sent back.

' _Sorry. No.'_

With a sigh, Rossi sent Hotch, _OK._ He waved at JJ, who had been frozen off to the side of the bed, her hand near her mouth where her fingernails were taking a beating. He showed her the texts and she nodded.

"Emily, I have to step outside for a minute, okay?" He spoke gently, but he still felt her grip tighten and the fear bubbled in her wide eyes again and his heart broke. "JJ's going to stay with you, see?"

"I'm not going anywhere, Em." She said with a smile, slowly taking over Rossi's spot. "Here, take my hand."

Rossi had to nearly pry Emily's fingers apart from his own. Once he was free of her hand he quickly placed it into JJ's open palm. Emily wasted no time and wrapped her fingers around the blondes.

"I'll see you soon, Kiddo." He said, leaving her with a small kiss on her hairline before he exited the small room.

He noticed that all four of the agents waiting outside, Hotch, Morgan, Reid and Garcia, were noticeably on edge. Hotch was even pacing in front of Emily's room, his brows furrowed in either deep thought or concern, Rossi wasn't sure.

"What's going on?" He asked, looking around to each person.

"There's been another murder." Hotch said, taking out his phone to show the senior agent. "A man, late twenties."

"So? That's not our guy—"

"Morgan recognized him as the man who abducted them." Hotch said. Rossi looked at the dark agent. He was pacing like Hotch, but he had his hands clasped on the top of his head. "He also had a note." Hotch flipped his phone so Rossi could see the image.

Written on the same yellow notepad paper, written in black ink was a message that sent chills down Dave's spine.

 _'_ _I see she's finally awake. The fun can begin soon.'_

 ** _Dun dun dun...sorry about the wait, I'm busier than I expected. Work and preparing for college is consuming my life. Anyway, please do leave a review and let me know what you think :)_**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yikes. I'm so sorry for the wait. I don't have much** **of an excuse other than I'm occupied with college prep and spending time with family and friends before I leave. I hope to get at least another chapter up in the next two weeks before I leave. Hopefully. No promises.**

 **WARNINGS:** Dark themes, violence, mild language

\- I will put an extra warning on chapters if I believe it's necessary

 **Disclaimer:** Our wonderful crime fighters are not mine

 **Set in season late 5/early 6**

Please leave reviews after reading…they really help motivate me to write! I feed off of them !

 _Chapter 5 : Protection_

 _…_

"Garcia said his prints match the ones found in the cabin." Morgan said, sliding his phone back into his pocket. "They were able to identify him with his wallet."

"Meet Brian Casey. Twenty nine, no close relatives or children."

"Brian must've been working with our unsub. We know he's targeting Emily, but why kill the partner?" Hotch thought aloud.

"Only ten to twenty five percent of serial killers have a partner, not to mention it is typically a male-female pair. The men seduce and groom the women into complying with their requests until they're in complete control. Maybe our unsub realized he was stronger without Brian?"

Morgan nodded. "Brian was the submissive partner. He was surprised when we got our of our cuffs and didn't seem to know what to do. We easily overpowered him." Morgan said.

Morgan dialed their technical analyst's number, tapping the side of the phone with his finger as they waited.

"My shiny superhero, what can I do for you?"

"Have you been able to find the owner of the cabin?"

They heard a bout of typing from the other end until she shrieked. "Oh, you always have the best timing. Results just came back." They could hear more typing and beeping. "It's owned by Ingrid Devis."

"Where is she?"

Garcia clicked and typed on the machines, eyes scanning for the information she needed. "Uhh…oh, awe, it looks like Ms Devis died in 2008 of a heart attack at eighty-two."

"Who owns the house now?" Hotch asked.

"That would be nobody, sir. It was abandoned."

"So Brian just happens to stumble across an abandoned cabin?" Rossi said.

"Keep looking for our connection, Garcia. Brian might've known Ingrid." Hotch told her.

"Is that all?"

"Yeah, that's it. Thanks Babygirl."

"Anything for my chocolate God. PG out." Penelope said and used her feather pen to hang up.

Hotch sighed, unable to formulate a plan to catch their unsub. Now, it was personal and that always made it harder. "We need one of us with Prentiss at all times." The rest of the team nodded. "I'll have an officer assigned to her room but she's never alone, understood?"

"Of course." They answered in unison.

JJ alerted the men to her presence by clearing her throat. Once the four heads were looking in her direction, she spoke. "They're going to have Emily stand up. Something about getting brain injury patients up and moving as soon as possible…" she trailed off.

"I'm going in—" Derek stated, quickly breaking away from the group only to be stopped by the blonde's hand in the center of his chest.

"Slow down. I asked Emily if she wanted someone with her." JJ removed her hand from his chest, now certain he wasn't going to barge into the room. "She said no."

"That's what she thinks now but—" Derek protested.

"I'm assuming whatever is about to happen won't be pretty. She's been laid up in a hospital bed for weeks without being able to breathe on her own. We have to respect her choice."

Derek huffed but eventually backed down. He opted to pace outside of the room, which now had it's curtains drawn to prevent him from seeing what was going on inside the room. With his arms crossed in front of his chest, he exchanged a concerned glance with Reid before sliding down the glass window and placed his head in his hands.

…

"Alright sweetie," Sheryl said while she moved the monitors and ventilator machine to the opposite side of the bed. "I'm going to help you swing your legs over the bed, okay?"

Emily blinked once for yes.

"Let's get you sitting up, huh?" Sheryl placed her hand under Emily's shoulder and one on the middle of her back. Slowly, she eased the brunette off her back and held her steady.

Emily felt as if her entire world was being rocked violently, causing her head to spin and her hand to reach out for something to hold. She made contact with Sheryl's upper arm and held on for dear life.

Suddenly, the partially familiar woman's wrinkled face was in front of her. "Are you okay?"

Something deep inside her bubbled to the surface. She didn't exactly know what is was or why it was just not making itself known, but she felt alone. Part of her knew it was rational, as JJ had asked her if she wanted someone with her and she had Sheryl. This woman she'd been told she'd met before but had no recollection of it. In the end, the irrational part of her won. The tears began to flow freely and although she could not make any sound, her body was moaning.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Sheryl asked. "You're doing so well."

The experienced nurse followed her patients eyes to the door. The same door her blonde friend had left only moments before. Her brain managed to put the pieces together.

"Do you want me to go get one of them?"

With tears glistening in her eyes, Emily blinked once.

"JJ?"

One bink.

"Okay, I'll get her." She said, gently helping Emily lie back again.

She quickly walked to the door, twisting the knob to allow herself out. She looked around the small corridor, ignoring the pleading looks from each team member. When her eyes finally found the blonde hair they'd been searching for, she smiled.

"JJ, she wants you."

JJ nodded and nearly leapt out of her seat. She followed the grey-haired woman into Emily's room where she found her friend, with tear tracks down her cheeks, lying in the bed.

"Oh, Em." JJ wrapped her hand around Emily's and searched the brunettes eyes. Helplessness, pain and fear were swirling around her nearly black eyes. However, with her friend by her side, the doubt and fear left her mind. Instead, determination and hope replaced them.

…

"Garcia, did you find anything?"

The analyst didn't speak right away, as she was still processing what she had found. "I went back to the years Ingrid Delvis lived in the cabin, so around 1993, and found a newspaper article."

"And?" Hotch prompted.

Penelope tapped away at the keys and sorted through the newspaper articles. "Well, this is where it gets interesting, sir. Do you remember Joe Belser?"

Hotch searched his memory for the name, coming up empty. "No. Should I?"

"He was an unsub your team of spectacular crime-fighters took down earlier this year."

Hotch was still confused as to where the analyst was going with this. "What does Joe Belser have to do with Casey or Ms Delvis?"

"That's just it, Bossman! Joe and Brian mowed Ingrid Delvis' lawn for _years_ before she died. Both boys were twelve and the local paper wrote an article about it."

Hotch was still mulling over the new information, trying to figure out why Joe Belser would be involved, even how he'd be apart of this nightmare when he remembered a conversation he overheard on the jet.

 _All I'm sayin' is, I don't ever wanna piss you off." Derek said, nudging Emily in her side. "Who knew Ms Prentiss could turn into such a badass."_

 _"_ _Agent." Emily corrected playfully. "Besides, don't tell me you didn't want to do the same thing for what he put those women through. I should've done worse."_

 _"_ _What made you jump on him like that, Em? I've never seen you like that?" JJ asked from the seat across from her._

 _Emily shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I let it get too personal?"_

 _Satisfied, JJ let her head fall a bit towards her shoulder and gazed out the window. Morgan put his headphones on while Prentiss sifted through Joe Belser's case file._

"She made it personal…" Hotch said, not exactly speaking to anyone, merely allowing her to hear his thoughts.

"What?"

"Emily, she tackled him. Gave him a talk about prison and 'playing along.' She let her guard down." Hotch said breathlessly, leaving Garcia stunned. "Penelope, what happened at Belser's trial?"

"Give me a second…uhhh…" He heard her typing furiously on the computers, "Here it is. Oh no…it looks like he…got off on a mistrial. Contaminated evidence."

"So he's free?"

"It looks like it, sir. What else can I do?"

Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose, attempting to release some of the newfound worry and tension. "See if you can find him on any surveillance tapes in Quantico. We know he's here."

"I'm on it."

The two hung up and Hotch looked back to his team, or more what was left of his team at this point. They looked at him, expecting him to give them the next step, to guide them through this shit show. In all honestly, Hotch was nearly winging it at this point. He knew they were all technically 'involved with the victim' but there was no way they'd hand the case over to another team.

"Let's go back to the bureau." He said, noting the disappointment on their faces. "JJ is here with Prentiss. There's nothing more any of us can do here."

With that, the men headed off to put together a new profile and to review the case files from Joe Belser's investigation.

…

"JJ called," Reid said breathlessly as he hurried back into the bullpen. "Emily's being extubated."

"She's having the breathing tube removed, that's good, right?" Derek asked.

Reid nodded instantly. "It is. But in the intensive care unit, approximately ten to forty-seven percent of patients required re-intubation twenty four hours after the first attempt—"

He could see and feel the pairs of eyes burning holes into him, worry and fear evident in each. Flustered, he quickly tried to recover. "But…I'm sure Emily will be fine."

"Morgan," Hotch said with his arms crossed, "you and Dave go to the hospital. Try and see if Emily knows anything that might help us. Ask her about Joe Belser, but don't push her."

Derek grabbed the SUV keys and the pair began their exit.

"Oh," Hotch said, causing both men to stop abruptly. "and tell JJ we need her here to deal with the press. Somehow they got wind of your abduction."

…

"Hey, Kiddo. How're you feeling?" Rossi asked, gently placing a hand on her knee.

Emily swallowed, then licked her lips. "Good." She managed to rasp. "How's…Hotch?"

Her question confused both Rossi and Morgan. Hotch wasn't involved in the crash. There was no reason for her to believe he was injured. Derek attributed the question to the brain injury. She must've gotten the name wrong. Maybe she meant Reid?

"Emily, dear, remember what I told you? You need to let your throat heal. That means minimal talking." Sheryl said as she adjusted the clear oxygen cannula under Emily's nose. However, Emily simply shooed her hand away, ignoring her orders.

"Hotch? Is he okay?"

Rossi's eyebrows inched closer together in confusion. "Emily, do you mean Reid?"

"No!" She answered sharply which earned her a coughing fit, one that made her feel as though her throat was being shredded to pieces. Sheryl quickly filled a plastic cup with water and stuck a straw into the liquid. Emily gulped down the cool water. She then leaned her head back against the pillow, closed her eyes and sucked in the oxygen she was lacking.

"Hotch…" She forced. "Foyet."

Foyet? Why in the hell was she talking about Hotch and Foyet? Aaron had killed the bastard nearly ten months ago. Then, Rossi remembered something Reid had said.

 _"_ _Some people wake up from TBI's and show signs of post traumatic amnesia, where they have trouble either forming new memories, in which case it would be anterograde amnesia, or cannot remember old memories, or retrograde amnesia. Studies show that nearly forty-five percent of traumatic brain injury survivors experience some degree of memory loss."_

Derek leaned in closer to Rossi. "Why's she talkin' about Foyet?"

Rossi ignored him and moved to stand closer to Emily's bed. "He's fine."

Emily visibly relaxed into the bed, closing her eyes and swallowing before she reopened them and looked around at her surroundings. "Why am I in the hospital?"

"Emily, I need you to stay calm while I tell you, can you do that?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, clearly confused but she nodded.

"You were in a car accident. The guy held you, Derek and Reid captive. You guys managed to escape but you had sustained a pretty nasty blow to your noggin and had brain swelling." He said, watching her expression go from confused to horrified. "Do you remember any of that?"

She shook her head.

"Emily, honey, you're suffering from post traumatic amnesia. A condition that prevents you from remembering some events in your past."

Emily looked at Sheryl, tears on the brink of falling.

"Hotch killed Foyet ten months ago. He's gone." Derek added.

"Why can't I remember?" Emily asked, a tear rolling silently down her cheek.

"Your noggin took quite the beating, Prentiss." Derek said. "I guess you've got a pretty thick skull."

She smiled and looked back down at her hands, clearly unnerved by the new diagnoses. Derek and Rossi silently agreed to leave out the part about the external drain that had been placed weeks before. Clearly exhausted from the conversation, Derek and Rossi said their goodbyes and waited in the hall for JJ to arrive for her shift.

"The last thing she remembers is Hotch and Foyet…" Rossi thought aloud, "she must not even remember Joe Belser's case."

"I swear, when I get my hands on that bastard—"

"Don't bottle that up, Derek. Hotch'll take you off the case in a heartbeat if he hears you."

The younger man paced and ran his hands over his head. He stopped and dragged his hands down his face. "You didn't see her in the forest—"

"And I'm sure it was awful." He said. "But, you can't help her if you're off the case."

Taking a moment to regain his composure, Derek nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

"When am I not?" Rossi teased. "Let's go catch the bastard."

 **Hope you enjoyed. Please don't forget to leave a review! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I apologize for my absence. I know it's been a while but forgive me, college is interesting. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE it. But it's a lot of work. I've been swamped with school work, making friends, studying and having fun. Don't worry though, I haven't forgotten about this story.**

 **Sorry this chapter is a bit short, but I just wanted to get something out.**

 **Thanks for your understanding and patience :)**

 **WARNINGS:** Dark themes, violence, mild language

\- I will put an extra warning on chapters if I believe it's necessary

 **Disclaimer:** Our wonderful crime fighters are not mine

 **Set in season late 5/early 6**

Please leave reviews after reading…they really help motivate me to write! I feed off of them !

 _Chapter 6 : The Hunt_

 _…_

Two weeks had passed since they'd put the pieces together. Brian and Joe and created a partnership once Joe had set his eyes on Emily. He had been responsible for the murders back in Washington and then realized Emily was working on his case for the second time, causing him to go after her. Derek and Reid were simply collateral damage in the crash, it was Emily who was the target. Joe's partner, Brian, had been expendable, obvious from the fact that Brian was found murdered. Emily was being released from the hospital later that night and the case put on hold while the team made sure her discharge went smoothly.

"You ready to get out of this place?"

"More than you know." Emily said while she slid on her slippers. After the accident, her coordination and muscle strength was dramatically weaker, making it hard for her to bend down and put shoes on, among other daily tasks. Garcia had shopped around dozens of stores in search of easy, slide on shoes for the brunette woman. Slippers were her favorite choice, evident by the array of different colors and designs each pair had.

"Alright, Kiddo. You're going to have to agree to the chair," He pointed to the wheelchair next to the door, "otherwise they won't let you go." Rossi pointed out.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Of course. They do know I _can_ walk, right?"

Rossi chuckled. "I'm sure they do. It's protocol."

"Well, protocol sucks."

The older agent stifled another chuckle while he wheeled the chair next to her and helped her lower herself into it. She let out a grunt as her bottom hit the chair surface.

"Let's get moving, old man." She teased, the sparkle in her eye lighting up. "I'm ready to break out of this joint."

…

Three hours later, Emily was sitting on her couch, flipping through the tv channels.

"Are you hungry?"

She jolted slightly, startled by the voice behind her, her brain forgetting that he was in her apartment.

"Not really." She said casually, passing through endless reality tv channels.

"You've gotta eat, Prentiss." Derek said. "Get those muscles back."

"I'm not hungry."

Derek sighed, his eyes focused on the back of her head while she sat on the couch. "Okay."

He closed the refrigerator door after placing the casserole JJ had dropped off back on the shelf next to the multitude of meals the team and her neighbors had made for her. He filled up two glasses of water and headed back over to the couch.

He sat down on the end of the plush couch, handing her the second glass of water. "What are you watch—"

The sound of a gunshot and glass shattering interrupted him. The shot sounded unbelievably close. Too close.

Derek snapped his head over his right shoulder and found the damage. Her window was completely demolished. Before he could form the words to tell her to get down, a second shot crackled through the apartment window, hurtling past his cheek and, as if time was moving in slow motion, he watched the bullet strike her shoulder. Her expression changed from one of confusion to shock and pain.

"Get down!" He cried, his voice finally listening to his commands.

He leapt over towards her and shielded her body with his own while he effectively grabbed her body and flung her onto the ground, along with himself. On the ground, he was facing her. He saw the fear and pain written all over her face. He needed to act fast.

He dragged her into the entry hallway, away from the line of fire. There had been at least three more shots after the first but now it was silent, save for Emily's ragged, rapid breathing. He took off his shirt, balled it up and pressed it into the gaping hole just below her collar bone. A slight whimper escaped her lips at the pressure and he apologized, but he unlocked his phone and dialed 911.

What felt like hours later, but in reality had only been minutes, he heard the sirens.

Relief flooded into Derek's veins, giving him the strength to put a bit more pressure onto the wound, then locking eyes with his partner. She was paler than she normally was and there was a thin sheen of sweat above her eyebrows.

"You're gunna be okay." He smiled down at her. "You hear me? They're almost here."

She closed her eyes and swallowed the cry that threatened to be released. "It…hurts…" She staggered out, her voice cracking and failing her all at the same time.

"I know, baby, I know." He said, feeling his own heart break in half at her pained words. He stroked her hair back off her forehead, desperate to comfort her in any way he could. "Just hold on, they're almost here."

…

Morgan what happened?" Hotch said, the rest of the team following him closely.

Morgan shook his head, unclenched his fists and exhaled sharply. The anger boiling up inside of him was astronomical. The amount of anger he felt towards Joe was threatening to bubble over their limits.

"That bastard shot her."

"How do you know?" Hotch's brows furrowed in confusion.

Morgan released the breath of anger and rubbed his hands over his head. "Damn it, Hotch! I know it was him, okay?"

"Morgan, do you need to take a walk?" Rossi suggested.

Derek actually chuckled. A walk. A damn walk while his partner was being treated for a gunshot wound, in the hospital, for what felt like the hundredth time. "No, Rossi, I don't need to _take a walk."_

"Emily Prentiss?"

An older man in a white coat with a name tag that read 'John Thomas' approached them from the double doors, holding a clip board in the crook of his left arm and a pen in his right. The team looked on eagerly at the man, eyes wide and breaths held.

"That's us." Hotch spoke for them. "How is she?"

"Agent Prentiss sustained a gunshot wound to her upper shoulder. Despite some bone chipping, she was extremely lucky." He paused when he heard the agents release their concerned breaths. "The bullet didn't hit any of the major arteries or tendons, just took out a good chunk of flesh. As for the bone, it'll take a few months to heal. I do expect her to make a full recovery if she follows our instructions."

Hotch watched as JJ and Garcia exchanged a quick hug and Rossi pat Spencer on the back. The one he watched the most was Derek. Arguably his most hot-headed agent but also one of the most compassionate and caring. The dark agent let the relief show, his eyes closing and the tension leaving his shoulders. But, when his eyes reopened, Aaron saw the pain and anger that still lingered behind the relief. The anger that was cast towards Joe Belser.

The doctor leaned forward to shake hands with Hotch, giving him a smile. "If you'd like to see her I'll have a nurse come and retrieve you when she's able to have visitors."

"Thank you, Doctor. We appreciate it." Hotch said, locking eyes with the doctor. Thomas gave a small nod, understanding the sincere gesture.

"Rossi, Reid," Hotch started, "I want the two of you to go to Emily's apartment. See if there's anything there we can use. We'll call you when we see her."

The two men nodded and left for their assignment. Both hesitated to leave the hospital but knew it was for the best. In order to find the man responsible, they had to do their jobs. Even if that meant not seeing Emily right away.

"Garcia and JJ, pull the surveillance tapes from the area. Maybe we'll get lucky." He said and the women quickly walked towards the doors in order to get back to Quantico.

"What about me?" Morgan asked.

Hotch looked at the man standing in front of him. His eyes were filled with determination but also worry. Worry that Emily couldn't handle much more of this. Worry that Emily was slipping away. Worry that his partner wouldn't be the same. And for Hotch? Well, he felt it too. Only he was better at hiding and pushing his emotions down. Derek Morgan was a man who wore his emotions on his face.

"You stay here." Hotch said softly. "I want someone there when she wakes up."

Aaron watched as a smile grew across the darker man's face. "Thanks, man."

"I will talk to the local police, see if they will officially invite us in."

Thirty minutes after the rest of the team had left for their specific assignments, a young nurse with piercing blue eyes slowly wandered towards him. "Agent Morgan?"

"Yes?"

"Doctor Thomas told me I'd find you here." She said, tucking her blonde bangs behind her ear. "I can take you to Emily, now."

Derek nearly leapt out of the plastic chair, his heart starting to race. "How is she? Is she awake?"

"Slow down." She warned, placing her hand on his shoulder. "She's awake but in a tremendous amount of pain. She's refusing pain meds—"

Derek shook his head. "Of course she is." He mumbled.

The blonde quickly and quietly led him down a brightly lit hallway, past an open corridor and then curved a bit down the next hallway before stopping. "I'll be right outside if you need anything." Derek nodded and put his hand on the knob. The blonde put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to pause and face her. "Don't aggravate her. She needs to rest."

Derek nodded and she offered him a sympathetic smile before turning swiftly and making her way back towards the nurses station. Derek exhaled, trying to prepare himself before entering. Hesitantly, he turned the knob and his eyes met her.

She was lying on the bed which was tilted up about thirty degrees and was on her back. Even from the door he could see the layer of sweat coating her cheeks and the rapid, but shallow, breaths.

"Emily." He said, his shoulders collapsing and his heart aching.

She opened her eyes and gave him a shaky smile before her face turned into a grimace and her knuckles went white while squeezing the thin blanket. He quickly pulled the chair out from besides her bed and lowered himself into it, grabbing her hand in the process.

"Nobody will think any less of you if you take the meds."

She smiled, closed her eyes and let a tear escape her closed lids. "I—don't l—like how th—they make me f-feel."

He smoothed the sweat-soaked hair off her forehead and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Then we'll do this together. I'm not leaving."

"Th—thanks." She said sincerely.

He locked his eyes with her glassy ones, smiling softly and nodding. "Always"


End file.
